Paris to Ancaster Bike Race

I raced it last year and it was the most fun I had (with my clothes on) all spring! It a very unique race that has become extremely popular and draws a very good field.

Basically its a bit of everything over 60km. The love child of a Euro-Spring classic and a Cyclocross. A bit of paved road, a bit of gravel, a bit of trail, of single track, farmer's pasture, mud (we're talking the WWI trench warfare variety - knee deep and thick), hills, flats... you get the picture.

I finished this ride far more tired than after any Half Ironman,

The best bike for this is a hardtail MTB or a cyclocross. Expect to finish MUDDY and wet. Riding a bike back to Buffalo may be a challenge if you don't have a place to shower and dry-off completly. I was Q-tipping mud out of my ears for a week and had to disassemble my BB to get it spinning free again. 

I'm hoping to be back in Canada in April so I can do this ride again this year. 

Here is a good link to a race video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiuwY7r0cQI

I dug out a photo from last year's race. As you can see both the weather and the course are what you'd call 'messy' (In a good way)

I'm going to register this weekend.  Bringing my squishy MTB to do the event.

So far I'm getting mixed feedback though.  I've read that it's both easier than a 1/2 marathon and that it's harder than a 1/2 ironman from different people... That's 2 pretty far extremes!  Last year a 9 year old finished the event in 5 hours and the winners were sub 2 hrs.  On the other hand, that photo looks pretty nasty...

Guess I'll have to just try it and see for myself.

this is true, and there's also the factor that the mudslides (yes, mudslides. as in both deep and plural) get goopier the more people who've been through them, so the later waves have a tougher row to hoe than the leaders anyway.

i'm in for the 60k again, though my husband (who snapped his rear derailleur hanger 10km from the finish last year) says he'll be happy just to meet me in ancaster with a warm car and dry clothes this year  

cheers!

-mistress k

I've only ridden the lake to lake, but I've been told this one is easier course wise (mostly rail trail, not a ton of single track).  I'm going to do the short version this year, 35km (st. george to ancaster), hopefully the weather the way it is will mean we have a sweet day to ride.

Everyone I know who has done it loves it, although I hear the lake-to-lake is the better one!

I'm signed up and can't wait. I have heard it's quite the thing to do. Hopefully my bike and I hold together.

with it having been dry and raceday looking warm, it appears this year will be pretty doss...but you won't catch me complaining 

cheers!

-mistress k

Where is the rain I keep hearing about?

how did everyone do?! true P2A style, insane mud and conditions.

I crashed once on the road, once in the forest, dropped a chain and still got first in my age category in the 35km race! :D

That was a fun filled day to me. I'll be doing it for sure next year. I will make sure to register early enough to not be in the last wave though.

Got a flat at the half way point, changed it without removing the nail so I got to change it again. Well the guy at the norco tent did it the second time so I ate while he did it. (I felt like a pro.) I was glad the bike held together otherwise. I think I would have been close to 2.5hours which is what I was aiming for if I wouldn't have gotten the nail. All well it'll make me try harder next year.   

i once again toured more than raced it, but had a blast - no crashes, no bonking, just good fun in the mud!

race report here with heaps of pics: http://illadvisedracing.blogspot.com/2012/04/paris-to-ancaster-60k-april-15th-2012.html

cheers!

-mistress k

thanks for reading!

cheers!

-mistress k